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Topic: Tubing and autosiphons (Read 3328 times)

In the three and a half years I've been brewing, one problem I've yet to solve is how to easily remove tubing from autosiphons and bottling wands. It goes on with a little difficulty but is a nightmare to remove. (This gets back to an article I think would be great for Zymurgy -- making the brewing process more accessible.) It's one of those problems that feels almost too small to write about and yet it makes me batty. Teach myself to make an all-grain Belgian with a yeast starter? On it! Remove tubing from an autosiphon or bottling wand? Clueless!

I buy what's recommended (I think but am not sure it's 7/16", for 1/2" siphon/wands), and am thinking I should move up 1/8" and use it with hose clamps, though I see some people report getting bubbles with that. I've tried cutting a slit in the end of the tubing, which helps a little, and soaking in hot water, which also helps, though is harder to do with equipment that has hosing attached. I just keep thinking I must be missing something very basic... one of those "what am I missing" questions.

I write this with 9/10 of my two hands, since while trying to remove hosing yesterday during a bottling session, despite my best efforts to be careful, I sliced my thumb with kitchen scissors, and now have 4 stitches. But when I got home from Urgent Care I bottled anyway!

Why do you even need to remove the tubing? Only time I remove mine is when it's time to replace

I remove it to ensure everything gets thoroughly clean. Before removal, I do pump OxiClean and then StarSan through it, but I thought it was necessary to ensure sanitation where the tubing meets the siphon or bottling wand. No?

I always remove the tubing to ensure a good thorough cleaning. I have three tips for easier removal (it's still a pain in the a$$). First, don't put it on too far to begin with. Second, run it under nice hot water for a while. Third, don't try to pull it straight off. Grab the tube at the end of the siphon and bend it at a 90 degree angle while also pulling. This will loosen the seal on the outside of the bend enough to let it move a bit. Then bend it the other way and do the same. Usually takes 3 or 4 cycles and it's off.

I always remove the tubing to ensure a good thorough cleaning. I have three tips for easier removal (it's still a pain in the a$$). First, don't put it on too far to begin with. Second, run it under nice hot water for a while. Third, don't try to pull it straight off. Grab the tube at the end of the siphon and bend it at a 90 degree angle while also pulling. This will loosen the seal on the outside of the bend enough to let it move a bit. Then bend it the other way and do the same. Usually takes 3 or 4 cycles and it's off.

I wrap a little Teflon tape around the end when I put the tube on. This helps with the seal and makes it super easy to slide off when I take the clamp off. The clamp is just extra support at that point.

I don't remember where I got this advice, but it almost always works. When I am done I push the tubing a little further onto the autosiphon and when it starts to move I pull it off. Usually comes off easily.

Just remember to find the "Free and Clear" (unscented) OxiClean for brewing equipment...

(don't learn the hard way)

My "old" autosiphon/tubing gets marked with a permanent marker and used for wild ales. I have a few sets just in case one breaks or I ever need to fill a barrel...

Absolutely on the OxiClean -- for a while there it was hard to get the unscented, and I was hoarding it!

I demote old tubing for other purposes; with all this advice from oscarvan, Tubercle, etc., am thinking I'll leave the tubing on the wand. Save myself the $30 co-pay at the hospital (x2, since the stitches will have to come out in two weeks)...